San Andreas fault exploration using refraction tomography and S-wave-type and Fϕ-mode guided waves
Rufus D. Catchings, Michael Rymer, Mark Goldman
2020, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (110) 3088-3102
Surface ruptures from the 18 April 1906 M∼7.9 San Francisco earthquake were distributed over an ∼35‐meter‐wide zone at San Andreas Lake on the San Francisco Peninsula in California (Schussler, 1906). Since ∼1906, the surface ruptures have been largely covered by water, but with water...
Evaluation of the Washington State Department of Transportation stormwater monitoring and effectiveness program for 2014–19
Craig A. Senter, Richard W. Sheibley
2020, Open-File Report 2020-1079
The U.S. Geological Survey was asked by the Washington State Department of Transportation to provide technical assistance as a third-party reviewer of their stormwater effectiveness monitoring program during the transition between the completion of the 2014 Washington State Department of Ecology permit requirements and start of the new 2019 Washington...
Groundwater age and susceptibility of south Atlantic and Gulf Coast principal aquifers of the contiguous United States
John E. Solder
2020, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5050
Groundwater susceptibility to contamination was investigated by using environmental tracer-based groundwater age metrics in the south Atlantic and Gulf Coast principal aquifer systems of the Southeastern Coastal Plain, Mississippi embayment–Texas coastal uplands, and the Coastal Lowlands. Samples of dissolved gas, tritium, sulfur hexafluoride, tritiogenic helium, and carbon-14 were collected from...
Trends in inland commercial fisheries in the United States
Devin N. Murray, David B. Bunnell, Mark W. Rogers, Abigail Lynch, Beard Jr., Simon Funge-Smith
2020, Fisheries Magazine (45) 585-596
Inland fisheries, defined as finfish caught in lakes, rivers, and other water bodies, provide economic value and a source of protein at local and international levels. However, no comprehensive compilation of U.S. inland commercial fisheries exists. We sought to obtain data across all 50 states during 1990–2015 and noted a...
Who knew that quantifying exchanges between groundwater and surface water could be so exciting?
Donald O. Rosenberry
2020, Book chapter, History of wetland science: A perspective from wetland leaders
No abstract available....
Tests in a semi-natural environment suggest that bait and switch strategy could be used to control invasive Common Carp
Peter J Hundt, Jon Amberg, Blake W. Sauey, Kristen Vacura, Przemyslaw G. Bajer
2020, Management of Biological Invasions (11) 428-440
Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus, 1758), is a highly invasive species that has had profound effects on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Many Carp management methods have been applied including physical removal, pesticide treatments of whole lakes, and water drawdowns. Herein, we...
Salinity, water level, and forest structure contribute to baldcypress (Taxodium distichum) rhizosphere and endosphere community structure
Candice Y Lumibao, Elizabeth Kimbrough, Steven Formel, Richard Day, Andrew From, William H. Conner, Ken Krauss, Sunshine A Van Bael
2020, Wetlands (40) 2179-2188
As rising sea levels alter coastal ecosystems, there is a pressing need to examine the effects of saltwater intrusion on coastal communities. Using 16S Illumina profiling, we characterized the communities of baldcypress tree (Taxodium distichum) root endosphere and rhizosphere soil bacteria. Our study utilized established sites along salinity and flooding...
Characterization of the unconventional Tuscaloosa marine shale reservoir in southwestern Mississippi, USA: Insights from optical and SEM petrography
Celeste D. Lohr, Brett J. Valentine, Paul C. Hackley, Frank T. Dulong
2020, Marine and Petroleum Geology (121)
This study presents new optical petrography and electron microscopy data, interpreted in the context of previously published petrophysical, geochemical, and mineralogical data, to further characterize the Tuscaloosa marine shale (TMS) as an unconventional reservoir in southwestern Mississippi. The basal high resistivity zone has a higher proportion of Type II sedimentary...
Remotely sensed thermal decay rate: An index for vegetation monitoring
Sanath S. Kumar, Lara Prihodko, Brianna M. Lind, Julius Anchang, Wenjie Ji, Christopher Wade Ross, Milkah Njoki Kahiu, Naga Manohar Velpuri, P. Niall Hanan
2020, Nature (10)
Vegetation buffers local diurnal land surface temperatures, however, this effect has found limited applications for remote vegetation characterization. In this work, we parameterize diurnal temperature variations as the thermal decay rate derived by using satellite daytime and nighttime land surface temperatures and modeled using Newton’s law of cooling. The relationship between...
GIS-Modeling of island hopping through the Philippines demonstrates trade-offs migrant grey-faced buzzards during oceanic crossings
Camille B. Concepcion, Keith L. Bildstein, Todd E. Katzner
2020, Journal of Engineering, Environment and Agriculture Research (2) 11-28
Migration can be costly with consequences that can influence population trajectories. These costs and consequences are especially heightened during over-water travels, which can be high-risk events for birds. We created spatial models to evaluate potential migratory responses of “oceanic”, island-hopping grey-faced buzzards that encounter variation in landscape parameters and weather...
Observations of an extreme atmospheric river storm with a diverse sensor network
Benjamin J. Hatchett, Q. Cao, Phillip B. Dawson, C. J. Ellis, C. W. Hecht, B. Kawzenuk, J. T. Lancaster, T. C. Osborne, A. M. Wilson, M. L. Anderson, M. D. Dettinger, J. F. Kalansky, M. L. Kaplan, D. P. Lettenmaier, N. S. Oakley, R. M. Ralph, D. W. Reynolds, A. B. White, M. Sierks, E. Sumargo
2020, Earth and Space Science (7)
Observational networks enhance real‐time situational awareness for emergency and water resource management during extreme weather events. We present examples of how a diverse, multitiered observational network in California provided insights into hydrometeorological processes and impacts during a 3‐day atmospheric river storm centered on 14 February 2019. This network, which has...
Behavioral response to high temperatures in a desert grassland bird: Use of shrubs as thermal refugia
Janet M. Ruth, William A. Talbot, Eric Krabbe Smith
2020, Western North American Naturalist (80) 265-275
Birds inhabiting hot, arid ecosystems contend with trade-offs between heat dissipation and water conservation. As temperatures increase, passerines engage in various behaviors to reduce exposure to heat, solar radiation and insolation, and reradiation of heat from the ground. These responses to rising temperatures may result...
Hydrogeologic and geochemical characterization of groundwater resources in Pine and Wah Wah Valleys, Iron, Beaver, and Millard Counties, Utah
Philip M. Gardner, Thomas M. Marston, Susan G. Buto, Lynette E. Brooks
2020, Scientific Investigations Report 2019-5139
Pine and Wah Wah Valleys are neighboring structural basins that encompass about 1,330 square miles in Beaver, Iron, and Millard Counties in Utah, approximately 50 miles northwest of Cedar City, Utah, and 50 miles southeast of Baker, Nevada. Perennial streamflow is limited and only exists in higher-altitude reaches of small...
Aquatic invasive species in the Chesapeake Bay drainage—Research-based needs and priorities of U.S. Geological Survey partners and collaborators
Christine L. Densmore
2020, Open-File Report 2020-1057
Executive SummaryThe U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is revising the Chesapeake Bay-based science plan to align it with recent U.S. Department of Interior and USGS science priorities that include, as stated in the plan, providing “an integrated understanding of the factors affecting fish habitat, fish health, and landscape conditions” in Chesapeake...
Oregon spotted frog (Rana pretiosa) migration from an aquatic overwintering site: Timing, duration, and potential environmental cues
Jay Bowerman, Christopher Pearl
2020, The American Midland Naturalist (184) 87-97
Relatively few North American anurans overwinter in water and information is sparse on their movement from overwintering habitat to breeding sites. Oregon spotted frogs (Rana pretiosa) breed explosively in early spring and often overwinter submerged at sites that are distanced from breeding habitats. In montane parts of their range, wintering...
Legacy and current-use toxic contaminants in Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes personatus) from Puget Sound, Washington
Kathleen E. Conn, Theresa L. Liedtke, Renee K. Takesue, Richard S. Dinicola
2020, Marine Pollution Bulletin (158)
Forage fish are primary prey for seabirds, fish and marine mammals. Elevated levels of pollutants in Puget Sound, Washington salmon and killer whale tissues potentially could be sufficiently high to elicit adverse effects and hamper population recovery efforts. Contaminant transfer and biomagnification of the toxic compounds measured in this study...
Seasonal dynamics and interannual variability in mercury concentrations and loads through a three-reservoir complex
Austin K. Baldwin, Brett Poulin, Jesse Naymik, Charles Hoovestol, Gregory M. Clark, David P. Krabbenhoft
2020, Environmental Science & Technology (51) 9305-9314
The Hells Canyon Complex (HCC) along the Snake River (Idaho-Oregon border, USA) encompasses three successive reservoirs that seasonally stratify, creating anoxic conditions in the hypolimnion that promote methylmercury (MeHg) production. This study quantified seasonal dynamics and interannual variability in mercury concentrations (inorganic divalent mercury (IHg) and MeHg) and loads at...
Hypoxia augments edge effects of water column stratification on fish distribution
Derek W. Chamberlin, Carey Knight, Richard Kraus, Ann Marie Gorman, Wenzhao Xu, Paris D. Collingsworth
2020, Fisheries Research (231)
Hypoxic conditions in both freshwater and marine habitats have a significant effect on the distribution of fish in the water column, resulting in some fishes aggregating near the edges of the hypoxic zone. These aggregations may increase fish susceptibility to fishing gears, with attendant effects on stock assessment inferences. We...
Hydrologic conditions in Kansas, water year 2019
Chantelle Davis
2020, Fact Sheet 2020-3029
The U.S. Geological Survey Kansas Water Science Center, in cooperation with Federal, State, and local agencies, maintains a long-term network of hydrologic monitoring stations in the State of Kansas. These include a network of 217 real-time streamgages and 12 real-time reservoir-level monitoring stations in water year 2019. The data and associated analyses...
Monthly suspended-sediment apportionment for a western Lake Erie agricultural tributary
Tanja N. Williamson, Edward G. Dobrowolski, Allen C. Gellis, Timur Sabitov, Lillian E. Gorman Sanisaca
2020, Journal of Great Lakes Research (46) 1307-1320
Black Creek, a headwater to the Maumee River and western Lake Erie, is an agricultural basin with a mix of cropland (66%), pasture (19%), and forest (7%) linked by a road network to the rural community. Suspended sediment was collected monthly during the 2018 water year for the main...
Predicting microcystin concentration action-level exceedances resulting from cyanobacterial blooms in selected lake sites in Ohio
Donna S. Francy, Amie M.G. Brady, Erin A. Stelzer, Jessica R. Cicale, Courtney Paige Hackney, Harrison D Dalby, Pamela Struffolino, Daryl F. Dwyer
2020, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (192)
Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms and the toxins they produce are a global water-quality problem. Monitoring and prediction tools are needed to quickly predict cyanotoxin action-level exceedances in recreational and drinking waters used by the public. To address this need, data were collected at eight locations in Ohio, USA, to identify...
Applications of knowledge and predictions of atmospheric rivers
Schick Lawrence, Michael Anderson, F Martin Ralph, Michael D. Dettinger, David A. Lavers, Florian Pappenberger, David Richardson, Ervin Zsoter
F Martin Ralph, Michael D. Dettinger, Jonathan J. Rutz, Duane E. Waliser, editor(s)
2020, Book chapter, Atmospheric rivers
This chapter reviews how AR research is being applied in real-world situations to address issues of flood planning and emergency intervention. It includes water supply management case studies. Examples comprise five distinct sections that show how AR research is being directly applied to the challenges that water managers, dam operators,...
Degradation of RDX (Hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine) in contrasting coastal marine habitats: Subtidal non-vegetated (sand), subtidal vegetated (silt/eel grass), and intertidal marsh
Thivanka Ariyarathna, Mark Ballentine, Penny Vlahos, Richard W. Smith, Christopher Cooper, J.K. Bohlke, Stephen Fallis, Thomas J. Groshens, Craig R. Tobias
2020, Science of the Total Environment (745)
Hundreds of explosive-contaminated marine sites exist globally, many of which contain the common munitions constituent hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX). Quantitative information about RDX transformation in coastal ecosystems is essential for management of many of these sites. Isotopically labelled RDX containing 15N in all 3 nitro groups was used to track the fate of...
Hydrologic signals and surprises in U.S. streamflow records during urbanization
Aditi S. Bhaskar, Kristina G. Hopkins, Brianne K Smith, Tim A Stephens, Andy J Miller
2020, Water Resources Research (56)
Urban development has been observed to lead to variable magnitudes of change for stormflow volume and directions of baseflow change across cities. This work examines temporal streamflow trends across the flow duration curve in 53 watersheds during periods of peak urban development, which ranged from 1939 to...
Brackish tidal marsh management and the ecology of a declining freshwater turtle
Mickey Agha, Charles B. Yackulic, Melissa K. Riley, Blair Peterson, Brian D Todd
2020, Environmental Management (66) 644-653
Water management practices in tidal marshes of the San Francisco Bay Estuary, California are often aimed at increasing suitable habitat for threatened fish species and sport fishes. However, little is known about how best to manage habitat for other sensitive status species like the semiaquatic freshwater Western Pond Turtle (Actinemys...